# Neural mechanisms during role-playing in music psychodrama: an fNIRS Hyperscanning study

## TL;DR

This study explores brain activity during music psychodrama role-playing and finds changes in brain regions linked to emotion and social interaction.

## Contribution

The study is among the first to use fNIRS hyperscanning to investigate neural mechanisms during music psychodrama role-playing.

## Key findings

- Music psychodrama role-playing reduced negative emotion scores compared to pre-intervention levels.
- Role-playing increased brain activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right frontopolar area.
- Inter-brain synchrony significantly increased in the right frontopolar area during role-playing.

## Abstract

The mechanism of inter-brain synchrony (IBS) during role-playing in music psychodrama has received limited empirical attention. To address this gap, the present study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning to examine IBS in 46 participant pairs during music psychodrama role-playing. Behavioral results showed that negative emotion questionnaire scores were significantly lower following the intervention compared with pre-intervention levels. Neural results revealed that, relative to the resting state, music psychodrama role-playing significantly enhanced activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R-DLPFC) and the right frontopolar area (R-FT), and also produced a significant increase in IBS within the R-FT. These findings shed light on the neural mechanisms underlying role-playing in music psychodrama and provide empirical support for future intervention research.